Willy is General Director of Casa Industria Films Studios and has received over 54 international awards.

For the past nine years Willy has created and produced a series of emotionally powerful videos for the Mexico Tourism Board including “Mexico In Your Senses, voted the best video to promote tourism in the world.

December 2013, 11-year old Olivia travelled, with her mother Courtney, to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico for a week of exploring.
The images Olivia captured, of the life and flavor of this UNESCO World Heritage site, are simply amazing for someone so young.Camera: SLR Nikon D300sLens: AF-S NIKKOR 50mm 1:1.4 G lens.Tripod: No. Shooting: Manual.RAW mode
With her eye looking through the Nikon viewfinder, without looking at the dials, Olivia adjusted her camera’s shutter speed, f-stop, ISO and depth-of-field. Post Processing: Adobe Lightroom 5, MacBook Air computerMusic: Macklemore, her favorite celebrity/musical artist

Sunset at Ushuaia, the southern most city in the world, is a mind-blowing experience.

Through Harold’s Lens feels extremely honored to be presented the prestigious Blog of the Year Award.

There are over 181,000,000 blogs around the world. Blogs exist in every country and on every creative passion and interest known to man. Through Harold’s Lens is just 1 blog. Only 4 months old. Focused on photography and travel. I am very extremely grateful to two outstanding bloggers, Global Grazers and tiny lessons blog, for discovering, enjoying and nominating Through Harold’s Lens for Blog of the Year. Thank you!!!

I also thank my wife Rita who has patiently waited as I said “Just one more shot”. My two daughters, Courtney and Carlin, for giving me a camera for Christmas in 1998. My son, Harold, for helping me create this blog as my birthday gift in 2012. And to the 4,500 people who have viewed Through Harold’s Lens since September. Each of you continue to provide me with inspiration to pursue my love of capturing life with a camera. Thank you all!!!

Through Harold’s Lens is not about business or trying to sell a product or idea. I share my images from life around the world only in hopes that they may inspire others, particularly children, to explore other cultures with an open mind.

The ‘rules’ for Blog of the Year are very simple:
1. Select the blog(s) you think deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award.
2. Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen – there’s no minimum or maximum number of blogs required – and ‘present’ them with their award.
3. Please include a link back to this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award and include these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter the rules or the badges!)
4. Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them
5. You can now also join our Facebook group – click ‘like’ on this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award Facebook group and then you can share your blog with an even wider audience
6. As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar.

Through Harold’s Lens nominations for Blog of the Year 2012:

http://rolbos.wordpress.com: Writer extraordinaire Amos van der Merwe creates magical words about living the life of the common people, primarily in Africa. For safari lovers like me, this is the ultimate. At the end of day’s dusty game drive out on the veld with my experienced guide, after my sundowner, after my delicious wild game dinner, night rolled into my campsite. The guides built a roaring campfire under the black tent with its white stars. Lions you know. Camp chairs circled the flames. My palm held a generous Chivas, neat. Sinking in my camp chair, one of my most favorite parts of a Safari was about to begin. The telling of tales, short stories and a few quips from life out on the African Savannah. This is Amos, the storyteller. His Posts always bring me a tear of laughter, a tear of sadness, a quiet smirk or a reflective moment.http://ronmayhewphotography.com: Professional photographer Ron Mayhew is an amazing talent with a camera. His images are simply brilliant! They provide me with inspiration and a desire to improve and to do the very best I can through my lens. I always await with anticipation for his next visual post.http://takingtotheopenroad.com: Taking To The Road. A serious case of wanderlust, is another outstanding travel writer and photographer. Peggy Tee’s passionate words and images from many countries around the world abound on this blog. The courage. The love of life. The gift to capture it all. This is another skilled blog I really enjoy.http://mabrycampbell.com: Professional photographer Mabry Campbell Photography inspires me with every image she posts. What a talent! Her severe, perfectly balanced architectural angles of buildings are incredible. Then she sweeps me away to a fishing pier at sunset where I am so in awe that I put down my camera and pick up my fly rod. And on and on the unbelievable changes in venues go with Mabry.

Through Harold’s Lens sends a warm thank you to all of the talented bloggers he has met and thoroughly enjoyed over the past 4 months. You have each, in your own individual way, brought me an increased depth and love of photography and travel that I never would have found without you. Each of you has also brought me so much more. A smile, a chuckle, a tear, a stirred passion for an idea or culture. Thank you all for your warm welcome to the world of blogging!

For Through Harold’s Lens, which is only four months old, to be recognized by another blogger of such high esteem in another part of our world, truly astounds me. From my heart and the passion I try to convey through my camera lens, I thank you.

To comply with the rules Kibogoji has asked me 11 questions, and in return, I must select my favorite 11 newbie bloggers to pass on the award, along with my 11 questions for them.

Questions for Harold
1. What is your hobby beside blogging?
Currently, photography, playing golf and fly fishing. When I was younger there were a lot more.
2. What is/was your favorite vacation?
Africa twice.
3. Where did you go and why? (An extension of question 2)
1st time: To photograph animals. South Africa, Kruger National Park, Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park, Botswana, Caprivi Strip, Nambia, Hwange National Park, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. 2nd time: To photograph the Maasai, animals and the great migration. Tanzania.
4. What is your favorite music?
Classical.
5. What was your favorite song in 2012?
What a Wonderful World. Just love it. I now have 67 different versions on my iTunes.
6. Which band is your favorite and why?Jim Cullum Jazz Band. Love good jazz. This is perfect toe tapping, fun “partner with partner” dancing music.
7. Which is one beauty product that you must have?
Don’t buy this stuff.
8. What is your most valuable possession?
Personally: my family. Product: my Lacie backup hard drive.
9. Who is your idol?
Don’t have one. I am comfortable in my own skin and don’t desire to be someone else.
10. Do you like scuba diving?
No. Not cardiology approved.
If you do, where was your last dive and why?

Africa’s famous baobab tree stands solo, firm and strong against the morning sunrise out on the Serengeti.

I feel extremely honored. I am tingling with excitement. I had never blogged until this year. My loving son Harold said “Dad, you have so many wonderful photographic images, you need a blog so you can share them. For your birthday present, I would like to help you create one”.

I did not even know there were awards for blogs. To be honored by others, because the images I created with my camera have inspired them in some way, gives me the chills. Thank you my fun blogging friends for keeping the blogosphere a beautiful place. You’re fun and a hoot to blog with.

Upon receiving The Very Inspiring Blogger Award I was given the following guidelines:
1. Display The Very Inspiring Blogger Award on your blog.
2. Link back to the wonderful person, who was so inspired by your blog to award you for The Very Inspiring Blogger Award.
3. List seven things about yourself so that Followers of your blog may know you better.
4. Nominate fifteen other bloggers who have inspired you during the year and link to their sites so they may be shared with the world.
5. Notify these inspiring bloggers that they have been nominated for a Very Inspiring Blogger Award and link to their post.

Seven things about Harold that you will not find on Through Harold’s Lens:
1. I am one of 8 children. First born 3 boys. Second 5 girls. I am the #2 son.
2. I have always loved sports. I found that it developed a certain fiber in me. As a teenager attending Northwood School, I played ice hockey, football and tennis. I was the first student in school history to receive nine varsity athletic letters. P.S. I tried soccer but immediately broke my ankle. Found out you don’t stop the ball by standing on it.
3. I am also a responsible outdoor sportsmen who loves the solitary etherial feeling that comes from fly fishing. It’s “catch and release” for me.
4. I was President of a Sportsman’s Club on the Island of Martha’s Vineyard where I lived for ten years. I believe in the protection of our environment so that future generations may enjoy the outdoors.
5. My musical tastes are very eclectic. My ears tune in to everything from from Country, Blues, Jazz and New Age to Classical and Opera. I loved trying to expose another generation to Opera by doing volunteer work for the Houston Grand Opera.
6. I loved the adrenaline rush that came from my years of skydiving and riding a BMW motorcycle, while camping out, as I toured the roads less traveled across the United States.
7. My heart and talent believe in the power of communications to help others in need. I have directed communications for organizations to try to help cancer survivors and to feed starving children in third world countries.

A large “Thank You” to all of you bloggers out there who follow Through Harold’s Lens from around the world. Each one of you are different and have provided me budding friendships and a degree of inspiration with your talents and creative skills. Thank you.

Today I feel special, very appreciative and thankful. The fascinating blog thirdeyemom invited Through Harold’s Lens to be her “photography guest” today.

Take a peek at this blog link third eye mom and take a journey around our world Through Harold’s Lens.

As I was assembling some of my new images from around our world for her to post, I felt honored. thirdeyemom is a blogger who is trying to do her part to try to bring human rights and social good to the world. To be invited to participate in her efforts brings me a warm, fuzzy feeling about how my images of world love, caring and concern may help her. Thank you thirdeyemom.

In this large 12,000 square mile ecosystem region in Africa, sometimes it pays to get out of your cot in the dark of the cool early morning. Walk quietly out of your tent onto the Serengeti. Hope the lions don’t see or smell you. Set up your tripod. Have some fun.

The Guides were sound asleep.

The pure quiet of the dark.

The sneak of rich oranges and blues beginning to peak through the black.

Deadly hungry meat eaters could be lurking around.

My senses were on edge.

I did not hurry.

I made no noise as I set up my tripod and mounted my Nikon.

I took many images as the dawn colors progressed.

Selected as the image of the day by PhotoBotos.com, the #1 featured Photographer Blog on the web.